in the first four games, and was especially shocking in the Utah State game, but while Hill was still playing I didn't have any doubt that BYU would still win that game, even with the defense's early struggles.
I agree, though, that pre-Taysom going down USU doesn't really fit my theory. Entirely possible that the defense was regressing and would have regressed just the same throughout the season if Hill hadn't gotten injured, or maybe something happened during that bye week and the defense decided to quit, but the way things played out the defense sure seemed mentally fragile. No doubt a combination of many things, but I would be surprised if, on a psychological level, Taysom Hill going down wasn't one of them.